A Muse's Muse
A Muse's Muse
JULY 27, 2017

Tea with Artist and Designer Ana Kraš, and her Mom, Mira

Furniture designer, artist, photographer and muse, Ana Kraš is celebrated for her singular aesthetic and striking personal style. Raised in Serbia, Ana’s relationship with her mother Mira plays a definitive role in her life and work, figuring in her design process, her personal taste, and—most recently—in an original set of wallpaper designs for Calico, inspired by her mom. We sat down for tea with Ana and Mira, to talk childhood memories, love, and the power of collaboration.

Ana, can you describe how your mom looks?

Ana: When I picture my mom, I see her in warm colors. The first time I used watercolor in kindergarten, I painted her. She’s in all these different tones of orange and yellow, surrounded by falling leaves…just full of colors.

Mira, how would you describe Ana?

Mira: She has a big heart, and a pure soul.

What’s your favorite memory together?

Ana: When I was a kid, we had a tradition of going to the Croatian island of Hvar, in the Summer. It’s really beautiful, full of lavender and poppy flower fields. We would go by ourselves and stay for a month. Those are the best memories.
What is alchemy to you, can you define it?
Ana: Alchemy is when elements influence each other and create something that is a collaboration of things.
Do you see alchemy in your work?
Ana: I see it in different ways…like the alchemy that happens when you are exploring and combining things. But there’s also the alchemy that happens during the process of working with other people.

Can you elaborate?

Ana: I like collaborating with people because it creates a sort of alchemy. You create your work, but you also have to alter it, because it’s not just about you. And the other person has to do the same…so the result is the outcome of those two shifted behaviors.

Do you find alchemy in your daily life?

Ana: I get energy from spontaneous interactions with people and strangers, That’s really the best thing about New York. Things are happening here… there are all sorts of people, from all sorts of places. Different characters, different classes, everything kind of merges in this cooking pot.

How do you see alchemy between people?

Ana: I see it as the most beautiful thing about any sort of relationship —friendship, romance, parent-child or family relationship. It’s a unique way of being yourself, with each one.
JULY 27, 2017

Tea with Artist and Designer Ana Kraš, and her Mom, Mira

Furniture designer, artist, photographer and muse, Ana Kraš is celebrated for her singular aesthetic and striking personal style. Raised in Serbia, Ana’s relationship with her mother Mira plays a definitive role in her life and work, figuring in her design process, her personal taste, and—most recently—in an original set of wallpaper designs for Calico, inspired by her mom. We sat down for tea with Ana and Mira, to talk childhood memories, love, and the power of collaboration.

Ana, can you describe how your mom looks?

Ana: When I picture my mom, I see her in warm colors. The first time I used watercolor in kindergarten, I painted her. She’s in all these different tones of orange and yellow, surrounded by falling leaves…just full of colors.

Mira, how would you describe Ana?

Mira: She has a big heart, and a pure soul.

What’s your favorite memory together?

Ana: When I was a kid, we had a tradition of going to the Croatian island of Hvar, in the Summer. It’s really beautiful, full of lavender and poppy flower fields. We would go by ourselves and stay for a month. Those are the best memories.
What is alchemy to you, can you define it?
Ana: Alchemy is when elements influence each other and create something that is a collaboration of things.
Do you see alchemy in your work?
Ana: I see it in different ways…like the alchemy that happens when you are exploring and combining things. But there’s also the alchemy that happens during the process of working with other people.

Can you elaborate?

Ana: I like collaborating with people because it creates a sort of alchemy. You create your work, but you also have to alter it, because it’s not just about you. And the other person has to do the same…so the result is the outcome of those two shifted behaviors.

Do you find alchemy in your daily life?

Ana: I get energy from spontaneous interactions with people and strangers, That’s really the best thing about New York. Things are happening here… there are all sorts of people, from all sorts of places. Different characters, different classes, everything kind of merges in this cooking pot.

How do you see alchemy between people?

Ana: I see it as the most beautiful thing about any sort of relationship —friendship, romance, parent-child or family relationship. It’s a unique way of being yourself, with each one.